Last Updated on February 7, 2020
The death of a 28-year-old woman in California back in 2007 is the perfect example of these atypical situations aforementioned. The woman died after drinking over six liters of water in less than three hours while competing in a water-drinking contest.
Water intoxication can also happen while under the effect of MDMA. This drug is often consumed in hot environments such as music festivals and parties. The problem is that MDMA raises body temperature which makes you drink a great deal of water while at the same time causing urine retention. That’s a potentially deadly combination.
– Nausea
– Vomiting
– Headache
– Fatigue
– Muscle weakness
– Cramps
– Short-term memory loss
– Confusion
– Loss of appetite
– Seizures
– Coma
The list is very long and most of the symptoms are very alarming. Some medical experts also refer that mild hyponatremia has subtler symptoms such as increased falls, reduced attention, impaired cognition, and altered posture.
Please note that if you don’t receive water intoxication treatment immediately, it can turn out to be fatal pretty quickly. The specific treatment of this condition fully depends on the underlying cause and also the symptoms.
How much water is needed to kill you?
To answer this question, we need to look into the main cause of all these severe complications: the kidneys. It is estimated that the kidneys can only process about 1 liter of fluids per hour.
Doctors point out that in order to reach a state of hyponatremia one must drink more than three liters at one time. This, of course, depends on your health condition, gender, and age (as always, elder people and children are at greater risk).
But unless you intend to participate in a water-drinking contest, you won’t be drinking such a huge amount of water so rapidly.
Other signs that you might be drinking too much water:
1. Constant urination
Having to constantly rush to the bathroom is extremely uncomfortable and can interfere with your day-to-day activities. If there is no other medical issue that is causing this frequent urge to urinate, then you might just be drinking too much water. Try to limit your water intake and see if you notice a decrease in tour toilet visits.
